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John Habib's City Sports: Derryfield's 'Mouse' made his mark

"THE MOUSE" is leaving his house. Stan "The Mouse" Jaworski is retiring from his post as golf course superintendent of Manchester's Derryfield Country Club at month's end.

"Derryfield Country Club recently celebrated its 80th birthday, and I can say I've been fortunate enough to have worked here for nearly half of its existence," said Jaworski.

Jaworski has been a city employee for almost 39 years — since then-Parks and Recreation Director Clem Lemire hired him as a temporary laborer back in June of 1975.

He became a full-time maintenance worker the following year and worked his way up to superintendent, the position he assumed in 1987 and holds to this day.

Co-workers speak glowingly of Jaworski, who kept up with technological advancements over the years to maintain Derryfield as one of the best public golf courses in the state.

"He was a magician in that he could accomplish anything, even under the most difficult times and circumstances," said Andy Vachon, Parks and Recreation's enterprise manager.

"First and foremost, he was always devoted to his family and job. He was a tireless worker, sometimes working on his own time just to make sure the golf course was in top condition. Whether it was dealing with trees, irrigation, drainage, paving, golf carts, greens, fairways — you name it, Stan was always on top of things, making sure everything was addressed to benefit the public."

Roger Grandmaison, the city's recreation facilities maintenance supervisor and a Jaworski co-worker for more than 20 years, said it was Lemire who set Jaworski up with the woman Stan would eventually marry, Sue.

"The story is, Stan was asked to come to the superintendent's office to clean an ink spill on the carpet near her desk," Grandmaison said. "Sure enough, Clem got Stan to ask Sue out for dinner, and the rest is history.

"I'm going to miss Stan. Speaking for a lot of people, he's a great man, a wonderful boss, someone people respect. He loved his work, and no one is going to fill his shoes."

Another longtime co-worker, Tom Fuller, said the department had two nicknames for Jaworski.

"He was originally known as 'The Hawk' because he had great vision for the golf course," Fuller said. "When you work at one place for five decades, you expect things are going to change over the years. He knew ahead of time things that had to be done, and he put people in the right places — places where they could excel — to get the golf course in tip-top shape. Even during times when he was working with a shoestring budget, he still found ways to get the job done."

Fuller said Jaworski later picked up the nickname "The Mouse" because he kept a low profile.

"He was always fiddling behind the scenes, making sure everything was working well. I can tell you firsthand, he always went back to the golf course at night to make sure everything was secured and ready to open the next day. He did that every day of the week. He wanted everyone to get the credit but him. That's the way he was. Personally, I hate to see him go. As a boss, he always treated us as family, something you don't see anymore today."

Jaworski said while it won't be easy to walk away from a job he loves, he recognizes it's time to go.

"I'll miss all the people I worked with, many who became close friends of mine," he said. "I have to thank Clem Lemire for hiring me. He was a special, good, caring person who was like a second father to me."

Jaworski said he takes pride in the work that went into Derryfield CC over the last five decades.

"It was a joy to work there," he said. "My aim was to make sure the course could be the best it could be for all the golfers."

"City Sports" is published Saturdays in the New Hampshire Union Leader. Email staff reporter John Habib at jhabib@unionleader.com.